Scooter and the like



March 17, 1925- I. TORNEiERG SCOOTER AND THE LIKE r led Feb. 25, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR /5 M09 75F/W/EERG AWO R N E Y March 17, 1925- 1,529,676

7 I. TORNBERG I SCOOTER AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 25, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Wm HHHIHIHIII mmlllllllll HI H1||| J I I ATTRNEY March 17, 1925- 1,529,676

|. TORNBERG v SCOOTER AND THE LIKE.

Filed Feb. 25, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Asvoae ERA/BERG- Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

.NI'TED s;

'ISIDO'R .TORQNIBERG, on i-PLAINFIELD,. N w ER-sEr.

' -seoorne AND THE'LIKE.

To'all who/nit may concern:

Be it known that I, IsIDoR.:.ToRNnERe,:a citizen ofzthe United States, and: a resident of rPlainfield, .inqthe (county of Union. :and State of New Jersey, have invented'z'certain new and useful Improvements in "Scooters and the like, of which the following is :a specification.

- The invention relates smore;especial1y't0 toys used by childrenon: sidewalksand c'onrmonly known as scooters. The usual scooter comprises a platform mounted on' two or three :wheels and has a frontlhandle, and-a boy with aone foot on i the. :pl-atform will use the other .foot on the 1 ground to=iforce the platform aheadby. stages until sufiicientqn'omentum haszbeen created iin the' sco'oter to cause it :to 'travelia short .d-zistance, .during which period he may keep :his footbif the ground, this operation being repeated from time to time aslthe scootenl'ose's its momentum. I

Theobjectof my invention is to provide a scooter which .issad apted to be propelled on oscillatory movements being imparted'to the handle thereof by .aepersonstanding on the platform, thus relieving the :user of the necessity :of developing momentum in the scooter by repeated pushing with-one foot against the ground. A :further objectof the invention isto provide ascooter of the c'har-' acter referred to which is durable and' sim ple of construction and devoid of the shafts and gearing common to toys of the propelling type.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented;reference being had to-theacconr panying drawings, in: which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation,- partlybroken away, of-a scooter embodying any invention, several positions of the handle being indicated by dotted lines; a

Fig. Qnis a :planviewof'th'e samet;

Fzig. dis :a vertical transverse section, on a: larger scale, through the platform'- portion of the scooter, .=taken on the dotted line 3 of Fig. 1'; I

Fig. 4 is a'transversesection, on a larger scale. through the hubportion: of. the forward wheel and adjacentparts, taken on the dotted line4&'4-of"Fig-J6-;

Fig. 5 is. a front elevation, partly insectionand partly brokeriaway, ofthescoeter;

.Fig. 6 is ra vertical-"section through the same. takenon'the dotted line '6-"6"of; F1g.

5,: and

tudinal side frames of the scooter an'd'f12,

13- the" front and rear wheels, "respectively,

which support said side"fram'es and, upon formkltf' 'lhe side frames 10, 11 will prefera'bly beformed of metal and "the platform 1T4: of' wood.

The side frames 10, 11 heparin-e1 with each other and alike in construction, except that said frames-are of right and left handformation. The side frames '10, 11 are straight and horizontal throughout tlie body portion of the device and at; thesefportions are of vertical channel formation, as shown in Fig. 3, and receive-theplatform.14L which is- 'fastened to thesi de frames by'means of bolts lo-whiclrenter the upper flanges thereof and aresecured by nuts 16 (Fig.3). The bolts 15' are formed with screw-heads, as shown, tofaniilitzitetheir application to the nuts 16, which are kept from turning loose by'reason of their close relation to the adj acent faces of-the frames 10, 11'-" The side frames 10, ill 'areformed with upwardly projecting lugs '17 fwhich engage the ends of the platform (Figs. land 2') and serve to initially position the "platform :and p to cooperatej withthebolts 15 in resisting enclwise movementof"the same. p j The rear end's'of the'side frames '10. 11 furnish bearings 18 forth'eaxle of thew-heel 13. I'show one rear wheelf13 but obviously may employ two 1 rear wheels if desired.

The front portions of the si' de'frames 10. 1 1, curve upwardly, as at 19, :and then for:- ward'ly, as at20,,on the arc of'a circle, and the portionsfil) are .fl'anged inwardly to form in the facing sides thereof? the ar'c'uate recesses 'or'channels 21. indicated'by" dotted i lines "in 'llli'g. F1 and 'soli'd lines'in Figs. '5 and 6L 'Centra'llyj'above the channels 21 ,"the side frames .10, 11" are-formed with'vertic'al stand ards 22 *inthefacing sides of whose ipper 1 ends are formed vertical recesses or channels 28'. Theupper ends of the standards 22 are formed at'th'e'ir forward edges with inwardly' extending "lateral" sleeves equal dimensions and whose'inner endsiabut' against each other, as shown in Fig. 2. The sleeves 24 receive a screw or the like 25 by which cal hub 27 and outwardly extending lateral pinsj-or axle-members 28 on which are sleeve-rollers 29 (Fig. 5), said rollers being within the vertical channels or recesses 23 and adapted to-;ride against the side walls thereof. The lower end of-theframe 26 has a central'vertical hub 30 and outwardly extending lateral pins or axle-members 3.1 on which-are sleeve rollers 32, said rollers being within the arcu'ate channels or recesses 21and adapted to ride against the sidewalls thereof. The frame 26will preferably be a casting and of a formation to afford adequate strength to its-several parts,-as shown.

I The handle-rod 33 is provided on its upp'er'en'd with a transverse handle bar;34,

, as usual, and the lower portion of said rod extends downwardly through the hubs 27, 30, of the frame 26 and is pinned in the upper hub-end of the yoke or fork 35 for. the

front wheel 12. The rod 33 is capable of -sw1velingmovement in-the hubs 27, and

is prevented-from hav ng undue downward movement through said hubs by a pin 36 and washer 37 located above the hub30 (Fig. 5). The engagement of the upper end'of the yoke with the lowerend'of the hub 30, prevents. the rod. 33. from sliding up wardly. I- preferably deflect the upper portion of the rod 33 rearwardly, as shown,

for the convenience of the operator of the device. Oscillatory movement of the han dle-rod 33 effects a special oscillatory movement in the frame 26, during which the rollers 29 have a vertical travel in the-channels or recesses 23 and the rollers 32 have an arcuate travel in the channels or recesses 21, as explained hereinafter.

, The arms of the yokev or fork 35 straddle the front wheel 12, as shown in Fig. 5, and said arms are correspondingly apertured at their lower ends to receive the ends of av stationary axle 38 forthe wheel 12, whose hub 39 is closely confined between said arms. Upon the axle 38 and within the hub 39 is keyed a brake-sleeve 40 having in its surface a series of recesses 41 F ig. 6) contain ing balls or rollers 42 and affording tangential surfaces 43 between which and the inner surface of the wheel hub 39 said balls or rollers become pinched when any attempt is made .to rotatethe wheel 12 in thereverse direction or clockwise, and prevent such rotation ofthe wheel. .Itis afeature of my invention that. the wheel 12 I shall only able to rotate in a forward direction or counter-clockwise. The hub 39 is free to turn counter-clockwise on thebrake-sleeve 4 0 but not reversely thereon. The. sleeve 40 andballs 42 constitute a familiar form of brake and require no special description; The sleeve 40 'is'fastened to the axle 38 and said axleis fastened in the arms of the fork '35 by means of the key 44. I preferably apply caps or. disks 45 on the outer faces of the lower ends of the arms of the fork 35, to confine the axle 38 andconceal the ends thereof (Fig. 4).

" The scooter hereinbefore described may,-

'33 by a child standing with botlrfeet on the platform 14 and holding onto the handle bar 34. If whena child mounts the platform 14, the wheel-12 should be in its forwardv position shown'by solid lines in Fig. 1, the child will press upwardly and forwardly on the handle bar'34, and the effect of this will be, since the wheel 12 can not rotate in a direction to cause it to travel toward the platform 14, to draw the platform forwardly towardthe wheel12 until the rod33 has reached the limit of its stroke and the platform has reached the relation to the wheel 12 represented by the heavy .broken line in Fig. 1'. rThe scooter having thus been propelled forwardly a certain distance measured by the stroke of the handlerod 33 and the momentum generated in' the scooter, the childwill draw the handle-bar 34 rearwardly to force the wheel [to rotate forwardly to its former position shown by solid lines in F ig. 1, and immediately again push said handle-bar upwardly and forwardlyas before to effect the movement of the scooter forwardly towardxthe wheel 12. This operation of the handlebar will be repeated as long as desired, each "forward thrust of the handle bar causing a forward movement of the body of the scooter toward the wheel 12, which isat the time stationary.

The frame 26 is positively oscillated from I i the handle-rod 33 with which it is positively I the turbing the horizontality of theiscooter, this result being one of the essentialobjects secured by my invention.

The scooter as-a whole is. one of desirable and simple construct-ion anddevoid of OPT cratinggear wheels and their connections common to propelled "vehicles of the toy order. By curving the forward ends of the side frames upwardly, said side frames may remain parallel with each other and yet afford abundant space for the wheel 12 to swivel in, instead of beingspread out at their forward ends to accommodate the swiveling action ofsaid wheel'. It is very desirable that, the body of the scoot-er shall remain horizontal or not have any rocking motion, during its travel,. -and this result I attain by the presence of the swinging or oscillatory link-frame 26 and the channels 21,- 23 cooperating therewith. When the; handle-rod. 33 is turned forwardl v from its positionv shown in Fig. 1, it forces the-lower end of thefraine 26', atits rollers 32, to ride upwardly in the channels 21v and then downwardly in said channels, instead of lifting'the forward end ofvthe scooter upwardly and then allowing it to descend, and this particular movement of the lower end ofthe frame 26 is permitted from the fact that the upper end of said frame, at its rollers 29, rides-upwardly in the channels 23 andthen downwardly there in to accommodate the arcuate travel ofathe lower end of the frame in the channels 21. A rearward pull on the handle-bar '34, causes the lower end of the 131'3111626. to

swing forwardly and at this timethe rollers ride forwardly in the arcuate chan nels 21 and the rollers. 29 .move upwardly and then downwardly in the channels 2-53,

whereby tiltinginoveinent ofthe scooter is prevented.

The distinguishing features of the'invention are that the wheel 12 may travelforwardly but not backwardly, that the ha'ndlerod. operating as a lever, is connected with the fork of the wheel and has a; vertically \'ielding pivotal. connectioniwith the frame of the scooter and that the upper end of 'saidfork or itsin'imedia-te accessory part has a (f01'1.t-l(')llCl movable connection ,with the frame of the scooter, said connection being compelled at the fork totravel through the are of a circle as the handle-rod is moved back and forth from one side to the-other of a vertical plane extending through. the rod.

I upwardly and downwardly under the control of said movable connection, to a limited extent to permit the handle-rod to perform its oscillatory, movements.without influence on the horizontality of thebody of the scooter. i

InQE-ig s. 1. to 6 inclusive I illustrate-l the preferred construct-ion: of the scooterrbut' I do not limit the invention ineverty instance to the details of that constructioin-isince like functional results maybe. obtained in other embodimentsof the invention and hence'I present Figs. 7. to 9 inclusiveas showing a modificationthereof. v

vvIn Figs. 7, 8 and'9,150-d.enotes thebody 7 of the scooter, 51 lllli82fl0l1ib wheel, 52 the fork therefor, 58 the handle-nod, 55 aframe at the upper end ofisaid forkand receiving the handle-rod which iis rigid with said fork,

56 lateral pivot studs on the upper' end of i said frame, elongated or verticalchannelbearings within which said studs may have vertical movement, 58..side' bars; forming a part of the frame of. the scooter and in whose upper ends said bearings are formed and SQ-oscillatory links pivoted. at their lower ends to-the frame of the scooterand at their upper ends. to the lower endof said'franiel The scooter shown in Figs. 7, 8 and91, has the same operation, as the scooter shownin Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, since the studs 56 operate the same as tiheyaforesaid, rollers 29' and; the uippeimends of the 1. In ascooter or. the like-having zubodyportion,- front and rear wheels, a fork in which the front wheel is mounted; antlwa handle-rod connectedwith' said fork, means for piiopelling the scooter forwandly-wand preventing rearward; motion theneof i comprising means pivot-allymounting the handle-rod inthe fnaine. of the scooter. for nookable or oscillatory motion-bathe userof the device. and a brake permittingsaid front wheel to roll forwardly when the upper endof the, handle-rod ispulled rearwardly and preventing reverse motion of said whee-l when the said rod. is pushed forwardly, thereby compelling the body. of the-scooter to move toward :saidfront wheel.

2.. A scooterorthelike as claimed claim 1, in which the brake is concealed within the hub of the front wheel and comprises a stationary recessed sleeve and balls in the reeesses of the sleeve to wedge against the inner surface of the hub and lock the whee against reverse rotation.

3. A scooter or the like as claimed in clain i 1, having means for preventing rocking motion in the body of the scooter duringthe forward movement of the .front wheel and the then forward movement of said body'toward said wheel, comprising vertically elongated bearings for the pivotal connection of the handle-rod with the frame of the scooter and meansfor compelling the upper end of the fork to travel on the arc of a circle as said handle-rod is moved'from one side to the other of a vertical plane through said rod and-the axis of the wheel, said bearings at th s time allowing the rod connection to yield upwardly and downwardly following the requirements of said arc.

4. A scooter orthe like as claimed in claim 1, having means for preventing rockingmm tion in the body of the scooter during the forward movement of the front wheel. and

the then forward movement of said body toward said wheel, comprising means allowing limited vertical movement of the connection of said rod'with the frame of the scooter andmeans for enforcing such movement when said, handle-rod is moving from one side to the other of a vertical plane through said rod and the axis of the wheel and the upper end of the fork is traveling on the arc of a circle.

5. A scooter or the like as claimed in claim '1, having means for preventing rocking motion in the body of the scooter during the forward movement of the front wheel and the then forward movement of said body toward said wheel, comprising a frame on said handle-rod abovesaid fork and at its upper end carrying lateral pivots as the pivotal connection for said rod with the frame of the scooter, vertically elongated bearings in the scooter-frame for said pivots, arcuate channels in the sides of the scooterframe below said bearings and lateral members on the lower end of the handle-rod frame to ride in said arcuate channels and afford a connection below said pivots of said frame with the scooter frame, said elongated and forwardly at their front ends, a platform, front and rear supporting wheels, a

fork in which the front wheel is mounted and a handle-rodconnected with said fork,

1 ,szaore said side frames at their forward raised por-' tions having corresponding parallel standards, means for propelling the scooter forwardly and preventing rearward motion thereof comprising means pivotally mounting the handle-rod between'said standards for rockable or oscillatory motion by the user of the device and a brake permitting said front wheel to roll forwardly when the upper end of the handle-rod is pulled rearwardly and preventing reverse motion of a said wheel when the said rodis pushed forwardly, thereby compelling the body of the i scooter ,or the like comprising eloning elongated verticalbearings, and means for are aell'in the scooter forwardl and preventing rearward motion thereof comprisingv a frame on the handle-rod above the forkhavingat its 'upper' end lateral pivots mounted in said vertical bearings and acting as a' pivotal connection of the handle-rod with the scooter-frame and at its lower end laterally extending members entered within said arcuate channels, and a brake concealed within the hub of the front wheel permitting forward travel of the wheel and preventing reverse motion thereof, said handlerod being mounted for manual rockableopy eration and said vertical bearings permitting said pivots to ride'upwardly and downwardly when the handle-rod is moving from one side to the other of a vertical plane through said red, the axis of the front wheel and the apexes of said arcuate chani'iels,' whereby rocking motion in the body of the scooter during the forward travel of the same is avoided. v

8. A scooter or the like as claimed in claim 1, in. which the handle-rod is mounted to be turned axially for directing the front wheel. a g

9. A scooter ,or the like'as claimed in claim 7, in which the frame on the handle-rod permits the rod to turn axially therein. for directing the forward wheel.

i Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State, of New York, this 23rd day of February, D. 192%.

, isinoa 'roRNB iRd 

